A World of Problems
by SmileLikeLightning
Summary: <html><head></head>Princess Miyako is known for her rebeliousness and friendship with Toshiro. Her parents disappeared ever since she turned thirteen, leaving her in the hands of the Soul Society Captains. What happens when she's forced to marry one of them? HitsugayaXOC</html>
1. Chapter 1

Story One

~*Miyako*~

.:Miyako:.

It's dawn. The sun is just peeking over the horizon; it's cold, misty, and just overall beautiful.

I wake up and stare at the snow white ceiling. The whole room is colored lavender, a sleepy kind of color. I slide out of bed, not the slightest bit tired, and change out of my silk pajamas, a silky dark grey nightgown with white frills at the bottom, into my plain shinigami uniform. I step onto the soft fuzzy white and grey mixed carpet. I fold up my pajamas and put them in the light colored wood dresser that matches my bed. The pillows are white and they feel just as fluffy as clouds look. The sheets are a matching color to the walls and they have purple flower patterns in a darker purple all over the blanket.

I look out the window cautiously to see if anyone's there. Then I jump out the window, flash stepping before I even touch the ground. I always wake up at dawn to get out of the palace for two reasons. One, I got caught sneaking out at night, and two, I haven't been allowed outside the freakin' palace for ten years!

I'm the princess of the Hamasaki clan, Hamasaki Miyako. The Hamasaki clan is one of the four noble soul society clans. We're a much respected clan in the Seireitei, even above the Kuchiki. Our connection with the 13 court protection squads is that my parents are the new Captain and Vice captain of the third division. Think what you want but my mother is the captain and my father is the vice captain.

Despite being a princess, I have no arranged marriage, I'm already fourteen and past the "usual" engagement stage. I mean other princesses are engaged usually before they are born to when they're 13.

I'll tell you more about myself. Again, my name is Hamasaki Miyako. I have very dark brown hair that flows down to my waist and looks black, but you can tell it's brown the way the light hits it at dawn or at dusk. I'm about 159 cm. tall (That's about 5 foot 2) and I have silvery violet eyes that you can only see at midnight during a full moon.

As I'm leaping through the forest to the left of my house, someone catches me right on my path and starts bringing me back to my palace.

"You really shouldn't do this," a familiar voice sighs.

I cross my arms and turn my head away from him pouting. "Shut up, Toshrio."

"Captain Hitsugaya."

I give him a playful smirk and shout, "O.K. Shiro-chan!"

A vein visibly throbs on his forehead as he glares at me. "Why you!"

Toshiro is one of my closest friends and now my bodyguard. He is in charge of coordinating and planning large missions, it's probably no sweat for him to figure out exactly where I'll be trying to sneak out.

We reached the palace and he put me back in my room the same way I ran out.

"Don't keep running out like this. It's annoying and I have other work to do you know."

I cross my arms and turn around. "Then do your work! I just wanna get out then I'll come right back!"

He sighs again and leans on the window frame, ruffling his hair. "Miyako c'mon, stay inside the palace, you'll be let out eventually."

I drop my arms and spin on my heel lazily towards him. I let out my breath, "Oh fine. When you put it like that..."

"Thank you," he says, pulling himself off the window, "The next time I see you I don't wanna see you running out again you got that?"

"I refuse to take orders from a captain who's shorter than me!" I exclaim loudly and sarcastically. I know he's clearly annoyed so I glance over my shoulder saying, "Alright, Captain Hitsugaya."

He finally leaves and I drop myself on the bed.

I blow my hair out of my face as I think, "Damn I hate being a princess."


	2. Chapter 2

.:Suki:.

"Renji! What the hell are you doing?" I gasp.

Renji looks up, "S-suki!" he waves his hands in front of his face as he starts to protest, "I didn't! I mean! He started-!"

I'm the new captain of squad nine. Abarai Suki. Apparently my brother Renji has some problems with my lieutenant, Hisagi Shuuhei, since I see him passed out on the floor in front of my office door and Renji's holding his zanpakuto.

"Ugh I can't believe you. Aside from the fact that you knocked out my lieutenant, don't you have a lot of paperwork to do in your own squad?" I say exasperated.

"Um..."

I punch him in the head, knocking him out in turn. I send a soldier to contact the fourth squad for Shuuhei as I drag Renji to Captain Kuchiki's office.

As I drag Renji towards his squad, I pass the Hamasaki Palace. "What a large estate. I wonder what royalty is like..." I think.

You could picture the Kuchiki estate and that would be very close to what the Hamasaki palace is like. There's a large fence that's about fifteen feet high, and colored mahogany red after two feet of white at the bottom. The top of the fence is mahogany red, with long and small roof like things that go all around. The roof of the palace matches the color of the roof of the fence. The palace's shape is symmetrical, a big rectangular shape in the middle, two smaller rectangles probably about five feet back from where the front of the middle rectangle is, and a koi... well they're koi ponds but it looks like a koi moat.

Suddenly my chest feels like someone just dropped a safe on me. I cough and have trouble breathing, and then it passes. I wipe my mouth and find a small smudge of red. "Again... it's getting worse... I need to find the pieces..."

After I drop Renji off, I start to walk back to my own squad.

.:Miyako:.

Apparently, my tutor, Madame Gazelle, found out about my little "outing". She came into my room to give me a proper scolding.

She has grey hair, like a newborn swan, and she keeps it up in a bun. She's thin and short, smaller than me. She wears small rectangular glasses and a dark red and purple kimono with a yellow silk bow. All together, I hate her.

"A princess such as you should not run away! It's terrible for your outer character and it simply sets a horrible example!" she crows.

I roll my eyes, "It's not like my parents care. My mother would've let me out if I wanted."

Madame turned to me, her face pink. "Do not speak like that! If you hadn't been sneaking out to that dirty little village, you'd still be allowed outside! Playing with those filthy Rukongai children..."

Now it's my turn to blow up. I slap her across the face so fast that she can't even see my arm move. I tower over her as she pulls herself off the ground. "Do not talk about my friends," I say, separating each word to stress the importance.

She stands up and bows. "Forgive me, Miyako-sama," her words sag with fear.

I turn my back to her as I say, "Just get the hell out. That's an order."

She leaves the room and as soon as the door closes, I let my tears flow.

_"Why am I kept in here? It's like a cage! Even she should know my lesson was learned a long time ago! I never see my parents anymore! They used to always talk to me! Since I turned thirteen they were gone!"_ I sob.


	3. Chapter 3

.:Suki:.

Later there's a meeting called for all the captains. It has something to do with the Hamasaki clan.

On the way back to my own squad I just got the message. When the hell butterfly left I bumped into some eleventh squad member.

"Oh excuse me!" A surprisingly polite and feminine voice apologizes.

"Ah, it's alright."

The girl steps back and I get a good look at her. She has slightly wavy blond hair that's in a ponytail right now. Her eyes are a nice aquamarine blue and she's about my height.

"You're the new ninth squad captain right?" She asks.

"Yeah. Do you need something?"

"I just was going over there to apologize, I didn't finish the paperwork for your squad, I can deliver it tomorrow," She explains.

"Oh alright, thank you," I reply.

She shifts her weight to her other foot. She introduces herself "My name's Shunta Eyore. Nice to meet you!"

I smile and shake her hand. "Abarai Suki. Likewise." Suddenly I remember the meeting, "Oh crap I'm gonna be late!" I dash towards the squad one, using the short cut. I slide through the ally next to squad twelve, then I jump over squad five's roof tops, soon I'm at the one road that's a straight shot to the first squad and I flash step there.

.:Eyore:.

After meeting Suki, I go back to squad eleven to tell Ikkaku and Yumichika all about what happened, and the meeting with the princess.

"Tch. The hell with going to the meeting. It's some stupid stuck up princess isn't it?" Ikkaku yawns.

I slap him upside the head, "Idiot! This is the Hamasaki princess! The one with the attitude!"

"Oh? You mean the different girl? The one that kinda looks like Hinamori Momo?" Yumichika inquires.

"Yeah! I'm glad someone gets it!" I say, rolling my eyes.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Ikkaku growls.

"Maybe I am cue ball!" I smirk.

"Did you just call me cue ball? Bimbo?"

We're almost at each other's throats when Yumichika, of course, makes that one little comment that drives us nuts.

"My, my, you both are so ugly when you're fighting," He sighs, shaking his head slowly.

"SHUT UP!" Ikkaku and I shout in unison.

.:Miyako:.

I'm called for a meeting with the captains. My maids get me ready and dressed.

They paint my lips ruby red and line my eyes for seriousness. They make me look sharp and proud. I wear a dark blue kimono, the color of the ocean. I wear a red kimono under and a white kimono under that. I wear a burgundy colored ribbon around my waist with a white ribbon and a lighter red one under that. Despite that it seems like a very hot costume to wear, it's all thin and light.

The top layer of my hair is tied up in a flat sort of bun at the top of my head, and held there with a golden headset atop my head as well.

On the way to the meeting, right before I enter the room, a rush of air passes me and I nearly fall over.

A servant catches me as I trip. Very un-princess like I gasp, "Wha- what was that?"

The Head Captain brought down his cane and addresses the girl, "Captain Abarai, please try to be prompt next time and be careful of our guest, it's her word that determines your punishment."

"Oh shoot..." I hear the distraught captain say under her breath. She turns towards me and bows several time, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

I felt sweat prickle my forehead as I regain my posture, "It's alright! Don't worry, you're the new captain right? It's okay."

.:Suki:.

I look up at the princess and stand up. As I take my seat I think, "So this is nobility huh? She seems more like a queen..."

There's a little scuffle sound behind the door, but I ignore it.

The room is very long; the head captain sits at the opposite end from the door, in a large chair. There's a long brown table in the middle of all the captains and the princess sits at the other end.

.:Eyore:.

Despite our previous fight, we went to the captain's meeting and eavesdropped behind the door.

"So that's the new captain huh?" I whisper.

"She seems really clumsy to me," Ikkaku says nonchalantly.

"Shhhh! You and your big mouth are gonna get us caught!" I hiss.

"I heard she's not one to be underestimated," Yumichika adds.

I slap them both on the head and give them a death stare before they can start to protest.

.:Miyako:.

Captain Yamamoto brings down his cane as he announces, "Let the meeting commence!"

I know all the captains names but I don't recognize the faces completely. The two people I know for sure are Toshiro and the Head Captain.

"We're discussing Princess Miyako's recent actions."

My eyes widen ever so slightly when I realize what he's talking about. It's about when I ran away this morning. I hold my head high and prepare for questions.

"Princess Miyako, why don't you tell everyone what you did this morning?" the Head Captain suggests.

My eyes flicker to Toshiro for a split second and I see him turn slightly, since he knows exactly what happened.

I'm a princess known for my uniqueness and actually, rebelliousness. Yamamoto is probably expecting me to avoid the fact that I'm at fault and make it obvious that I'm anxious.

Even though he seems kind, he's a person who lives for being right.

I nod and explain the situation, "This morning I snuck out of my room through the window. I was then caught by Captain Hitsugaya and brought back to the palace."

Suddenly there was a loud thump behind the door and everyone's head turned.

"Who's there?" Captain Yamamoto questioned.

I think to myself, "Probably some people who wanted to listen in. They shouldn't get in trouble..." I speak up yet act natural, "It was probably my servants and they were most likely placing down the carrier. It does weigh a lot."

Without delay, he continued the meeting.

.:Eyore:.

I nearly killed Yumichika for slipping. "You idiot! We could've been caught and then where would we be!" I scolded while whispering.

"Well beauty doesn't always agree with balance," He says.

"Would you two shut up? I wanna listen!" Ikkaku growls.

"This is coming from the dude who was completely against this idea!" I hissed.

"Just shut up!"

.:Miyako:.

"Princess Miyako. These have not been the only things you've done recently. You've snuck out of the palace many times before and also you've neglected your duties-"

I interrupted him, "Excuse me Captain Yamamoto Ginrei, but I haven't strayed from my work, I've attended every meeting, and done all of my paperwork! My patience isn't something to be toyed with."

He raised his eye brows then lowered them, "Very well Princess Miyako. However, these actions must be watched over," he continues, "that is why you must marry one of the 13 Gotei Captains."


	4. Chapter 4

.:Eyore:.

I let my hand drop from the door as I sat up on my knees after what I just heard.

"Poor girl..." Yumichika comments

"Is the Head Captain crazy?" Ikkaku mumbles.

All I can think is, "I feel so bad for her... I'd be mad being forced to marry like that..."

Suddenly from inside the room, there's a loud crash followed by the princess's voice.

.:Miyako:. 

The Head Captain continues to speak, "We suggest that you marry Captain Kuchiki, he's a fellow noble..."

I blocked out all the sound around me and my own thoughts took over. "I'm going to be exiled or married; I can afford to lose my temper." I slam my hands on the table, sending a crack right through to the head captain. "Are you kidding me?" I shriek, losing all respective words, "My own mother didn't force me to marry! You're not my father, or my grandfather! Why the HELL do I have to listen to an old fart like you? I'd rather be exiled to the human world!" I try to keep my tears at bay but I can't. They just pour out of my eyes and I rub off all the makeup cleanly. I feel stupid crying in front of all thirteen captains but I don't care.

Married? I don't want to get married! I'm not the "house wife" kind of person. I'm adventurous and I want to explore.

Why? Why?

I run out of the room crying like crazy. I turn for a second to the eavesdroppers, "Leave before you're in trouble."

They all nod and flash step out of there.

.:Toshiro:.

"Is she crazy?" I think.

The head captain sighs and hunches over a bit more. "Maybe I should've told her about the assassination..."

I turn towards him with wide shocked eyes. "What did you just say?"

"The girl's parents died. They were assassinated," Captain Kuchiki explains.

"We couldn't tell her. Despite that she's almost as mature as you and almost the same age, she's really just a small fragile girl inside," Captain Unohana adds.

"She's probably going to the human world," Captain Kyoraku says, "It might be good for her; however the assassin will figure out that she's there."

Before anyone else can speak I'm out of the room and looking for Miyako.

.:Suki:.

We're all dismissed and I'm the last one to leave. Right then, my chest starts hurting again.

I clutch my heart so hard my chest starts bleeding a bit. I walk towards the princess's palace despite the pain. "It keeps lasting longer..." I think, "Did I just make her life worse by-" My thoughts are cut off by a sharp pain in my side. I turn as fast as I can and draw my sword, clutching my new wound.

"Now, now, Suki. You can't hurt me. I'm going to find your shattered soul remember?"

"Why are you here, Hisao?" I growl.

I can see his smile in the shadows, "Have a nicer tone or she might die, Captain Suki."

My side had stopped bleeding but it feels as though it's on fire. I rip the top of my uniform off, revealing a columbine flower mark on my side.

His smile disappears into the shadows as I pass out on the floor, in my small pool of blood.

.:Miyako:.

All my tears are gone now. I pack the few things I need to go to the human world. Artificial soul pills, money, and my zanpakuto.

Hoshiitenshi, my zanpakuto speaks in my head, "Miyako-sama, are you sure about this?"

I nod, "Yes. Even if it seems like I'm doing this rashly, I really just need to get away from it all. Besides, I know my way around the real world." I open the senkai gate and jump through. When I land, I know exactly where I need to go.

Urahara's Shop.

I know about his shop because my parents used to take me to the real world sometimes because of the delicious food there. We needed gigais and Urahara offered them to us.

Before I get to the shop I bump into an orange haired kid. "Oof!"

"Huh? Are you okay?" He asks.

I blink as he helps me up. "You can see me?"

"Yeah, you're a shinigami right?" he answers.

I nod slowly then I remember. "Oh! You're that famous Kurosaki Ichigo!"

He rubs his head and gives a small chuckle, "Famous? I didn't know I was that big a thing in Soul Society."

I laugh too. "Well you did make a big scene, crashing in like that."

He laughs then resumes our regular conversation, "So where're you going?"

"To Urahara's shop."

"Oh Mr. Hat and Clogs. Here I'll show you, it's just around that corner," he instructs.

I bow, "Thanks!" I run in the direction he pointed out and give him a little wave before I disappear around the corner.

.:Ichigo:.

After she runs off I think, "Was she crying? Her face was all red..." I turn and walk back home continuing to think, "None of my business. Hm... I didn't catch her name either..."


	5. Chapter 5

.:Miyako:.

I reach Urahara's shop and knock on the door.

Instead of Urahara answering the door, an unfamiliar boy with shaggy black hair, painted over with sweat, answers the door.

I bow quickly as I say, "H-hi! My name is Hamasaki Miyako, is Urahara-san back?"

The boy wipes his face with the white towel around his neck and then says, "Yeah, Urahara's in here. It's nice to meet you, I'm Kuupa Ruukasu. C'mon in." He turns his back to me and walks back into the shop.

I close the door quietly behind him. Then I take off my shoes and walk in.

The shop looks like it always has two rows of candy and treats in the front, a small cashier desk that is really never used, and the regular wood and walls that were there fourteen years ago and longer.

"Ah, Miyako-chan! You're here!" I hear Urahara exclaim, using his goofy voice.

I smile yet roll my eyes. "Hi, Urahara-san. Nice seeing you again."

He opens his little fan and waves it in front of his face. "Well make yourself at home! If you need a gigai I'll give it to you, free of charge!"

I walk past him and turn my head. "I don't need a gigai yet, thank you. This way's the bathroom right?"

"Yes, yes! See you later!"

.:Ruukasu:

"Her face was red... was she crying?" I think. When she leaves I lean over the cashier desk and ask, "So Urahara, who's she? An old girlfriend?"

He laughs, "No, no! She's only fourteen!" now his voice gets a little serious, "She's actually a princess from Soul Society. She's known for being rebellious so that's probably connected to why she's here. Rumor has it an assassin's after her."

"Really!" I say in a daze, "Girl's got it rough."

"She's better off than a lot of princesses," Urahara adds.

I pull of my towel and walk towards the bathroom, "Well, when I put this towel away, then I want to start training again, okay?"

He sighs and closes his fan, "Oh fine. You're a lot more motivated than Kurosaki was. It makes it so much less fun if I can't tease you..."

"What are you? A little girl?" I scoff. When I get to the bathroom I hear the girl crying. I knock on the door, "Hey, you alright in there?"

The water comes on for a while then it goes off.

"I-I'm fine! I'll be out in a second!" she calls.

Like she said the door opens after a second. She makes an effort to hide her face as she brushes past me. "Excuse me."

She talks to Urahara, something about staying for a while.

He nods, surprisingly using his serious voice.

She bows saying thank you and then walks past me again to the guest room.

I sigh, ruffling my hair, "What a weird girl..."

.:Miyako:.

"Urahara-san. M...may I stay here for a while?"

"Alright, Miyako-chan. You can stay in the guest room. You know where it is right? Past the bathroom make a right, it's on the left."

Tears nearly come to my eyes again as I think, "Mom, Dad." I bow and say, "Thank you." Then quickly shuffle past Ruukasu again to the guest room.

I slide the door open to find a room with tatami mats all over the floor and a small kotatsu. I walk in slowly, remembering the place.

This is the exact spot my family stayed when we came to the human world previously.

I sit down next to the kotatsu cautiously.

Tears just fall from my eyes, I let the natural drug take over and sob heavily. I keep thinking, _"Why won't they talk to me? Why would they let the head captain order me around like that? I'll only listen to my parents' word. If they tell me to marry they'll tell me to find love first. Why did they cut themselves off from me? Why? Why?"_ I cry out the next word out loud, "Why!"

Soon night falls and I've fallen asleep crying next to the kotatsu.

.:Urahara:.

I go to check on Miyako.

She's fallen asleep on the kotatsu, crying.

I get a green blanket from the side closet and drape it over her shoulders. "You don't change…"


	6. Chapter 6

.:Ruukasu:.

The weight of my zanpakuto seems to have doubled since I'm so tired from training.

_"This guy… Is he TRYING to kill me?" _I think bitterly.

Urahara stands up from his fighting stance and sheaths his zanpakuto. "That's enough for today, Ruukasu-kun."

I look up in surprise and say, "What, already? How come?"

"Why don't you go keep watch over the princess?" He suggests. Actually, he's practically ordering me to do it.

I climb the ladder out of the training basement to the regular shop. I run my fingers through my sweat washed hair and walk towards the princess's room. "Geez, that guy's so annoying," I mumble. I'm almost at the princess's door when there's a huge crash on top of the roof. I whip around and draw my zanpakuto. _"What's that?"_

.:Miyako:.

My sleep is interrupted by a crash on the roof. I stand up and the green blanket floats off my shoulders. I slide open the door in a rush and shout out blindly, "What's happening?"

Ruukasu, who's right outside my door, answers, "I don't know princess, and I'm going to check."

"I'm coming with you," I state.

He protests, "No, you should stay here."

I shake my head vigorously, "I'm coming and you can't do anything about it."

He sighs and gives in. "Just stay behind me alright? We can't have you getting hurt."

I roll my eyes and murmur under my breath, "I never asked you to protect me."

We sneak onto the roof soundlessly to survey our enemies.

"Dammit, Ikkaku! You and your big ass just cost us a quiet entrance!" the blonde girl growls.

_"She's the girl that was sneaking in on the captain's meeting…" _

"Well you and _your _big mouth just ruined any chance of us fixing this problem!" the alleged, Ikkaku, retorts.

"You idiots stop bickering! We need to search for Miya- ahem. Princess Miyako! Now go find some shelter until further notice!" Toshiro commands.

"Yes sir," they agree reluctantly.

"Shinigami?" Ruukasu mumbles, "Why are there two captains though?"

I sigh with relief; he didn't hear them mention my name.

"Princess, let's go back inside," he advises, snapping me out of my trance.

I look at him and nod, "Oh, sure."

As we retreat back inside, thoughts flood my head. _"They're looking for me… No. I can't let them take me back there, I refuse to be married!" _

I go back into my room and try to sleep. I scrunch my eyes closed yet sleep evades me. I turn on my side and remember Toshiro's face. _"Ugh, he was so worried… It feels wrong to leave him like that…" _I think, _"Although he looked cute like that, wai-what!" _A bright red blush crosses my face as I think about that. I bury my head in the pillow, still thinking of him.

The next day when I wake up, I find a body lying next to me.

"Holy mother fu-!" I shriek. I fly backwards and slam into the wall. I watch the strange body carefully then I face palm myself. "A gigai…" I mumble. I put on the gigai and then wear a simple white dress with white leggings under it, and then I put a lavender sweater over my shoulders.

I walk towards the front of the store and find Urahara-san. Before I can even open my mouth, Urahara interrupts me with his goofy voice.

"Oh, Miyako-chan, you look so beautiful today!"

I can't help but conjure up a little smile at the complement. "Thanks, Urahara-san. I'm gonna explore the town a bit, so uh… yeah."

He grabs my shoulders before I can get out the door. He flips me around to face him and waves his finger at me. "A princess can't go out without a bodyguard!"

I roll my eyes and sigh. _"Princess this, princess that. I can take care of myself!" _

"Ruukasu will be your bodyguard," Urahara explained, "Ruukasu!"

As I start to protest, Ruukasu walks into the room.

"Urahara-san, I really don't need anyone to-"

Ruukasu puts his arm around me and starts to escort me outside. "Let's go princess."

After we're at least a block away from Urahara's shop, I push Ruukasu off and cross my arms.

He laughs and rubs his neck. "Sorry, princess."

I put on a pouty face and cross my arms. "Tch, you're so weird." I kept a pace at one foot in front of Ruukasu, so people wouldn't mistake us for a couple. Even when he called my name, I kept my face forwards and answered like that.

"Princess."

"…"

"Princess."

"What?"

"We're getting too much attention."

"Why do you think that is?" I replied, crossing my arms.

There were people whispering all around us. Things like, "That guy's so cool!" or, "That girl looks like a princess."

Ruukasu takes three long strides to catch up to me. He shoves his hands in his pockets and leans forward to whisper in my ear, "Must be because you're so pretty."

I feel my ears heat up. "More like you're too tall!"

The whispering continued on for several more minutes, and the second I hear the word, "couple" I push Ruukasu away and shout, "Go away!"

I rush across the street and turn the corner. "Dammit! I hate people…" I end up by the river somewhere, so I sit down to rest. _"Hmpf… I'm being a little to mean about this… It's annoying when they're right… they don't know any better though…"_

Right as I let out a sigh, a strange reiatsu shakes the ground underneath me. The muscles in my legs tremble, then force me to jump up.

I hold out my hand to see the ribbons of reiatsu, a technique that I learned when I was ten. Countless white ribbons flow out in front of me, along with the few red ones that I'd expected. However, _"What… what are these transparent blue ones? And this… this clear red one…" _

I'm about to grab hold of the clear red one, when I feel the presence of someone behind me. I swallow a soul pill and whip out my zanpakuto.

A sleek haired stranger is already grabbing the blade of my sword. "Now, Princess, don't struggle. I don't want to kill you."

Frightened, I stumble backwards and bump what I first think is a hollow. I hold out my palm and stutter, "Way of destruction number thirty-one! Sha-"

"I said, 'don't struggle.'" The black haired man repeated, holding my hands.

I snapped my hands back. "He's fast!" I thought. I turned around and pointed my zanpakuto, Hoshiitenshi, at him. "What do you want?"

Despite my brave actions, I was trembling. I never entered a real battle before, even when I spar with my friends they all go easy on me, even Captain Zaraki.

His foot slides ever so slightly towards me.

"Stay back there!" I nearly dropped my sword, but I fix my grip and swallow. "Who… Who are you?"

He gives me a sly smile and answers, "I am Hisao. I've come to take you to my world." Hisao points a finger at me and I can't move.

"What is this?" I growl. I struggle, however every time I squirm, I start to feel faint. "Oh… no… I can't… help me… To…shi…ro…"


	7. Chapter 7

.:Toshiro:.

_Ssshk! _I slice through another hollow's mask. They just kept coming and coming! "Where are all these hollows coming from?" I shout.

A shinigami I don't recognize flies past me. "Princess! Where are you?" He calls. The man starts to take another leap but I grab his collar.

"What princess are you talking about?" I demand.

His surprise shows clearly on his face. "Y-you're Captain Hitsugaya."

I shake him, snapping him out of it. "Are you talking about Princess Miyako?" I growl.

The man slaps my hand off and straightens himself out. He glares and towers over me. "What do you want with her?"

Suddenly there's an explosion in the distance, and a strange white opening swirling in on itself.

"Miyako!" I see her hanging limp in the arms of a strange man, heading for the portal. "Madarame, Shunta, Yumichika! Hurry up to that portal!" I command, desperately hoping they can focus quickly. I spin on my heel so that I'm facing the portal, and I prepare to leap.

.:Ruukasu:.

"This is the guy that's close to Momo," I think, my glare coming through. The bitter taste of defeat coats my mind as I remind myself, Momo likes Hitsugaya. Was Momo not enough for him? Now he was going after Miyako? Son of a-

_BOOM. _Our heads turn towards the blast at the same time. A white swirling portal appears in the sky, spinning clockwise.

A man is leaping into the portal with what looks like Miyako in his arms.

"Miyako!" Hitsugaya shouts. I feel like the very passion and fear in his voice is the thing shaking the ground instead of the aftershock of the explosion. "Madarame, Shunta, Yumichika! Hurry to that portal!" he commands. Hitsugaya turns to leap towards the portal, but I grab his collar.

"Wait!" I shock myself when I hear the ferocity in my voice. What was I so mad about? "What is Miyako to you?"

He blows my arm aside, whacking it with his forearm. "Is that something you should be preoccupied with now?" He shouts in disbelief and sarcasm. Before I can come up with an answer, he's at the portal.

I scrunch my eyes up in frustration and smack myself in the head. "What the hell was I thinking?" I toss aside the pride that was gnawing at my head and jumped into the portal after them. I take a glance at the portal behind me, which still spinning clockwise, but it's closing in on itself. "Phew. Let's see what happens now," I think with a sigh.

.:Miyako:.

I wake up, pale eerie moonlight highlighting my face. I sit up and notice that my shinigami robe is fizzling away. I pull it off quickly but quietly and watch as it disappears into the air. "What the heck…" I murmur. The white under kimono is loose, but not skimpy, so I tie it tighter and see a red ribbon lying on a plain snow white table.

"Wear this," I read off the tag. I lower my eyelids and say aloud, "What a damn idiot." First, I'm weirded out at how quiet my voice is, second, I think that if I don't put it on, something bad will happen later.

_"Miyako-sama," _Nenshoutori whispers, _"Take the ribbon off my hilt, it looks exactly the same."_

"So it does..." I say in the strange quiet voice I'm forced to speak in. I unravel the red ribbon on Nenshoutori's hilt and tie it around my neck. "What should I do with the real ribbon?" I ask, holding the original ribbon.

Suddenly, the ribbon starts to act like water in my hand and as it slips between my fingers, it disappears.

"That's strange…"

The smooth porcelain door opens with a creak and the greasy purple-haired man named Hisao leans in the doorway. "I see you're awake, princess," he states with an even greasier voice.

I don't have the strength to glare for some reason, so I just give him a glowering stare that looks much like an "I'm tired" stare.

He chuckles and walks over to me, his arms suggesting a hug.

I step back, nearly tripping onto the white bed that I woke up in.

"I'm not going to hurt you, why don't you follow me, Princess?"

Though I'm skeptical, I follow him out of the room without a second thought. I can't really think straight anyway, and my body is acting very strangely. I can't speak above a murmur, and I feel as if any strain on my body could make me pass out. I'm feeling a little better since I have Nenshoutori's ribbon wrapped around my neck, but I can't but notice Hisao's pleased, almost perverted, stare at the ribbon.

He leads me to a garden filled with white dogwood trees and white lilies. Nearly everything, even the leaves on the trees, is white.

"Sit here, Princess. Your legs must be tired," Hisao suggests.

It's so impossible to ignore his sly voice and the feeling as if he's planning something; which he probably is. Despite all of that, I still sit down and watch him as he sits down _right _next to me.

A strange animal with a cat-like mask and a body, not unlike a hollow's, walks up to Hisao wearing a glass of white wine on its head.

He picks it up and turns towards me and lifts my chin up gently. "How do you like my palace, Princess?"

I furrow my eyebrows in concentration as I try to comprehend what he's asking. My brain started to act slower and my movements have gotten stiffer, I noticed all of this but I can't do anything about it. "What I think…?" I meet his eyes with my sleepy expression, "I think it's boring."

An awkward silence follows after my answer, and then all of a sudden Hisao bursts out laughing. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Oho…" He clutches his stomach and tries to catch his breath, "You're so interesting, Princess."

I catch him staring at my ribbon again, grinning crookedly, and I can feel my energy starting to return. I stand up as soon as I am able to and I glare at Hisao with rage and suspicion. "What the hell is this?" I growl, "Why couldn't I speak above a whisper when I woke up here? Where _is _here? Why the hell do you keep smiling like a lecher when you see this ribbon? Explain now!" My voice resonates on the last word. I see everything move like water, and the ripples are coming from me.

Hisao's face is contorted with shock and pain even. He grabs my mouth and his left eye takes the form of a dragon's eye. His eye bore into my eyes and I started to feel weak again. So I did something simple. I closed my eyes.

I kicked him in the chest and did a flip in order to land back on my feet correctly. "Answer me," I say rigidly, "or I will raise my voice again and destroy your precious kingdom!"

He puts his hands up and says somewhat fearfully, "Alright, alright. Calm down. I'll answer all your questions."

I give him a condescending look and cross my arms as I ask my first question, "Now. Why does that happen when I raise my voice?" I try to act as cool as I can when asking this question since I just used this fact to bluff my way into authority.

Somehow he dismisses the comedic quality in what I said and answers me instantly, "For some reason, your reiatsu resonates with this dimension. I mean that you're reiatsu is the exact opposite of the energy emitted in this dimension."

"Useful…" I mentally note. "Alright, and what exactly is this place? You called it a dimension. I thought there were only the Soul Society and the Real World. What exactly is this?"

He sighs, as if competing with a small child. "Geez, if you weren't such an important piece I'd love to dispose of you right now…" I give him a look of worry and angst and he just snorts. "Don't worry Princess, I wouldn't hurt you either way, you're too pretty."

I blush and smack him on the head before he can see the redness on my cheeks. "Just answer the damn question!"

He rubs his head and scoffs. "Geez, alright. It'll be annoying answering your questions one by one, so I'll just tell you everything. It started about one hundred years ago…

"I was a shinigami. I wasn't even a ranked officer, believe it or not. It doesn't matter what squad I was in, or even how strong I was. All you need to know is that I started to get fed up with trying so hard to move up the ranks and pretend to be friendly with the unintelligent fools around me. I did a little research and found out the kings key, the way to heaven, could access places other than heaven, it could open doors to other dimensions. I asked the head captain for the King's Key to perform an experiment, but he denied it. I was even kept under surveillance for a while for my suspicious request. After the suspicion against me died down, I went in and attempted to steal the King's Key. I was caught and sent to the ultimate death penalty for top class criminals. I waited in the penance tower for a month, which was just enough time for me to set up the experiment with the key fragment I stole. Then right before I was taken out to be executed, I opened the Rift. I was taken to this world, and I took over what little there was to take over." He looks up at me with eyes darker than I thought he could make, and gives me a smile that sends chills through my body.

My next question is caught in my throat and my mouth just keeps gaping open and closed. I close my eyes and shake my head to regain my composure. "Wh-what do you need me for?" I ask, coughing out the question.

He saunters over to me and touches my cheek lightly. "Why do I need you?"

My arms tense up and my legs freeze. "Sh-shit… Why can't I move?" I curse in my head. I scrunch my eyes up as he holds my chin and leans towards my ear.

"You're something that needs to be eliminated. However your reiatsu is what I'm after," he grins against my ear, making me shutter in disgust, "You will be my bride."

I regain motion and leap back from him, face red and breath hot. I rip my hand away from my mouth and shout, "What?" I glare at him and swing my hand down in fury, "Never! Never in this entire lifetime will I ever even consider to marry you!"

Suddenly, his cold fingers wrap around my wrist and his hand presses me into his chest by pushing on my mouth. I feel him grinning on my neck and he rubs his head on my cheek.

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!" I think. His face is like a snake's tongue on my cheek, something I'd like to rip out and kill.

"Your little friends have come here as well. And I will make sure to kill every last one of them if you refuse."

My eyes go wide and I mumble, "Toshiro," when his hand comes off.

"Oh?" Hisao says with a smirk, "Toshiro, huh? Is that your little boyfriend?"

I hate the sound of Toshiro's name on his lips. I can't answer out of pride and embarrassment. My face must be the only colored thing in this bleak world of white and grey.

Hisao laughs victoriously and with cruel humor, "Ha! So that's the one you love? Hitsugaya Toshiro, the ice boy."

I whip around in blind fury and cry, "Don't you dare say his name! I don't want to hear his name one more time from your filthy mouth!" I'm shocked at my own words. My face heats up even more that it already was as I think worriedly but somewhat pleasantly, "I like him? Why would I've said that if I didn't? I really love him. I love Toshiro…"

He's up in my face and glaring me down. He gives me a dark look with no smile that reminds me of a dragon. "I will make sure to kill that ice boy first right in front of your eyes if you refuse to marry me. And believe me when I say, it will scare you so much you will want to die yourself," he says murderously.

I can't do anything but take him one-hundred percent seriously and fall to my knees, scanning quickly through any possible thing that he could be capable of. I feel his cold eyes weighing down on my back and say the only thing that can save Toshiro.

"I'll marry you."


	8. Chapter 8

.:My POV:.

The weight of what I just agreed to dawns on me. Tears well up in my eyes and I scold myself for complying with Hisao's request.

He lifts my chin and the tears spill out of my eyes onto his surprisingly soft and cold hand. "Don't worry, Princess," he coos, "I'll take good care of you."

I'm fed up with resisting and fighting. However, I'm not going to completely give up, I won't ever go down without a fight. I push his hand away and give, what I hope is a strong glare, to him and order, "Give me three days to get used to this place. I need to know my… new kingdom."

Hisao looks at me, obviously amused, and turns to the side, striking a kingly pose. "Alright, Princess. Three days."

I walk around him to face him directly. "And," I add, "You are not allowed to touch me until then."

He puts his hands up, mocking my order but complying anyway. "Alright princess, I'm just going to make sure you're not going to run away." He points his finger at me, and I see and feel a stream of reiatsu come out of my chest.

I'm pleased with the beautiful aurora colored stream of reiatsu, but I'm too shocked and angry at Hisao to care about it right now. I collapse and grip my chest where he pulled the reiatsu from as I glare up at him.

He spins the string into a ball and several of the strange monsters appear around him. "I wonder what I'll call my new creations…" he ponders out loud.

My reiatsu splits into the seven colors of the rainbow and hits each one of them.

Their masks crack and their limbs take a human complexion and shape. Finally, they stand up straight, and get down on one knee, bowing to Hisao.

"Master, we are at your service," they say in unison.

Hisao crosses his arms and smiles benevolently at them. "Your first order is to escort Princess Miyako back to the castle, then visit me in my throne room."

The short, what I assume is a girl, with a bright yellow bob-cut hairstyle, bounces over to me along with the shoulder-length green haired girl, who seems much calmer.

They're all unashamed of their nudity, since they're not actually human or have ever cared about covering themselves. Luckily for me, the boys are hidden in the shadows.

"Alrighty, princess! Let's take you to your room!" The yellow-haired girl says, smiling.

Unable to be mad at such a sweet person, I let her take my arm and escort me to my room. " Why is she so sweet? She's Hisao's servant," I think, trying to find out what she's playing at.

As we walk through the castle, the cute yellow haired girl keeps humming and clutching my arm.

The quiet sound of skin smacking on the white porcelain floor echoes throughout the hall, and deciding to make conversation, I ask, "Do you guys have names?"

"Nope! Not yet at least. Master never named us when we were those other creature things," the yellow girl says cheerfully, sadness swimming under her words.

The green haired girl walks politely behind us, her hands folded in front of her. "I don't know what Hisao-sama will name us, but I think you're able to name us, as well."

I raise an eyebrow as I turn my head to look at her. "Why am I able to?"

"We-ell," the yellow girl explains, "we were made with your reiatsu, so technically you're our mom."

The thought sinks into my brain slowly, and when it finally settles, my face pales with disgust. "You guys are our kids? Hisao and I?" I go limp and refuse to get up from the floor. "Ew… Ew Hisao… Oh gosh, Toshiro… sorry…"

"P-princess, are you alright?" The green haired girl asks, concerned about me.

I keep mumbling nonsense about how disgusted I am about "having kids" with Hisao as the two girls drag me to the room.

Once I'm lounging limply on the white couch in the room, the yellow girl sits at my feet, a little hurt.

"Do you not like us as your children, Princess?"

I realize her feelings and empathize with her. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean that I dislike you… I really hate Hisao."

The green girl tilts her head to the side and inquires, "Then why are you marrying Hisao-sama?"

My eyes take up a faraway look as I reflect on why I'm marrying him. "I'm marrying him because he kidnapped me. He's going to kill someone very special to me if I don't."

The green girl puts her hand on my shoulder and stares at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Miyako-hime. We can't disobey Hisao-sama either, so we have to keep you here. I can't honestly say that I wish we could help you, since I don't have many feelings. However, I ask you to forgive me, since I will end up fighting against your friends if they take you back."

The yellow girl places her hands on mine and tears up for me. "Brincess, I dibn't gnow dat you bere forcing bourself!"

**(She's talking through tears and a runny nose ^_^' Translation: "Princess, I didn't know that you were forcing yourself!")**

I smile gently towards her and put a hand on her head. "It's alright, don't cry. You'll do what you need to do, so I won't ever be mad at you."

She rubs her eyes and sniffs.

"So!" I announce, changing the mood, "What should I call you two?"

The yellow girl perks up, tears still in her eyes. "Oh, oh, oh! Me first, me first!"

I laugh, "Okay, okay. Hm, let's see." I try to think of all sorts of names I have in my head. "How about I call you Mai?"

"I like it! I'm now Mai-chan!" Mai says, jumping up and down. "What does Mai mean?"

"It means 'dance.' You seem to be really jumpy and energetic, like when you dance," I say, pressing my fingertips together.

She skips over to the green girl and pulls her in front of me. "Okay, okay, name her now!"

I drum my fingers across my lips, thinking of names that could relate to her. "Let's see… How about Midori?"

"That sounds nice," she approves, "What does it mean?"

I laugh nervously, "It literally means, 'green.' It's still a pretty name though."

That earns a small smile from her, making me feel nice and warm inside as well. These momentary feelings only make me understand how hard it's going to be in the end when we can't be together like this.

A man with crimson red hair and an outfit to match knocks on the door frame, getting our attention. "Hisao-sama wants you two, _Mai_ and _Midori_."

The both of them bow to me, hands folded in front of their legs, and then they follow the red man out of the door.

He bows to me and closes the door gently.

I narrow my gaze, evaluating his power. "He was so silent. I didn't even hear the door creak open. I wonder just how strong that guy is."

The next morning, I found an orange boy, probably five feet and six inches tall, opening the semi-translucent white curtains of my room, and bringing me breakfast in bed.

I sit up and rub my eyes, wiping the salt away. "What is your name?" I ask instantly, knowing he's one of the seven people created by my reiatsu.

He turns and bows politely to me. "Oh, good morning, Miyako-sama. I'm Jirou, nice to meet you."

Jirou has tangerine colored hair which is spiky, but not excessively so as if it was gelled up. His eyes are golden, like the rest of them, and he's wearing a burnt orange suit, like a Spanish noble.

"Jirou, huh?" I mumble, "What's that bastard Hisao doing?"

A bead of sweat slides down his forehead. "You really don't like Hisao-sama, do you?"

I growl and snap, "You're damn right I don't! He kidnapped me!" I snatch the toast off the tray he brought me, and I gobble it up. Even if I don't like Hisao, I'm hungry.

"Well, Miyako-hime," Jirou says, cleaning up my crumbs, "I don't see why you're sitting around here doing nothing, then. You must have some sympathy or some affection for Hisao-sama."

I grip the blanket tightly, "I have no affection for him. I won't fight someone on their own territory, especially when I'm not strong enough."

"Hm, that can't be all," Jirou says, pressing for more information.

I smirk, knowing what he's looking for. "If I told you, you'd go and tell _Hisao-sama _wouldn't you?" I snort.

He chuckles, "As I suspected, you are smart, Miyako-sama." He walks over and places his hand next to my side, leaning in closer to me. "Don't think you can win this time, though. You have no idea what we're capable of."

I grab his collar, making him follow my pace. "You don't know what I'm capable of, either. Even if you're made from my reiatsu that just makes me the original." I shove him off of my bed, making him stumble. "Get out of my face."

He straightens himself out and bows to me, "Don't strain yourself, Miyako-sama." Jirou exits the room, and I throw the covers off in frustration.

"Dammit! What should I be doing?" I cry.

I look outside and see the surprisingly golden sunlight and green vegetation. "Woah, what happened?" I take a look at my room, and the bed is cream colored, and the blanket is matching. Lastly, I take off the kimono I thought was white, and see the sakura pattern on it. "Did my reiatsu do this?"

.:Toshiro's POV:.

I land on my feet somewhere in a green forest. I stand up straight to observe my surroundings. "Very strange," I mumble.

Suddenly, about sixty-six kilograms falls on the back of my head, pinning me to the ground by my face.

.:Ruukasu's POV:.

"Ow, I haven't gone through a portal like this before. It really spun me around."

I hear the muffled cries of someone coming from beneath me, and I look down to see a captain's hakama. "Oh, crap!" I jump up to see the familiar tuft of white hair of Captain Hitsugaya.

He springs up like a weed, shouting at me, "What the heck?" He whips around to glare at me. Pointing at me accusingly, he continues, "What the heck is your name anyway?"

I put up my hands defensively, "I'm sorry, Captain Hitsugaya. Don't get all heated up."

He dusts himself off and wipes his cheek. "Just tell me your name, I haven't seen you around the Soul Society, yet you're a shinigami."

You stare straight, straining your eyes to see far as possible. "I lost all my powers in a freak accident a long time ago. I went to the Real World to train and get them back. You know how some people are in the Soul Society about a powerless shinigami."

Hitsugaya breathes out heavily, almost like a sigh but not quite. "Guess you got your powers back. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

I rub the back of my head. "Hey, I'm sorry for shouting at you before. I was a little… well I'm just sorry."

"I apologize for grabbing your collar first. But I don't see why you were so angry before, what did you want with Miyako, anyway?"

I give him a wry smile and put a hand on his shoulder, "She seems important to you, so we can talk as we try to save her."

Captain Hitsugaya nods and closes his eyes.

"That technique," I think, "He's looking for Princess Miyako's spirit ribbon."

The ribbons appear most of them are translucent. There's a surprising amount of red ribbons, showing how many shinigami there are in this strange dimension.

Suddenly, Toshiro grabs one of the red ones, and sprints forward.

I jump to follow him, and we continue our conversation.

.:Toshiro's POV:.

"What was that?" I think, "There were some ribbons that were alternating red and clear. What were those? They felt like Miyako's reiatsu."

"So, what is Miyako to you, Captain Hitsugaya?"

I glance at him for a moment, seeing his expression doesn't have any hostility, so I face forward and respond. "She's my friend, my best friend."

"What do you mean, 'best friend?' What about Momo Hinamori?"

You whip your head around, completely astounded at what he just said.

He's got his hand over his mouth, surprised at himself for saying that, too. "Sorry, Captain Hitsugaya-"

"She's not my best friend."

"What?" Ruukasu says, berating me.

I smile, remembering all the moments Momo and I had together. "She's like my sister, so don't worry, Ruukasu."

.:Ruukasu's POV:.

My face heats up as I shout, "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about me hurting her is what I meant. What did you think I meant?" Toshiro explains honestly.

I avert my eyes from his gaze and focus on moving forward. "Nothing! Nothing at all."


	9. Chapter 9

.:My POV:.

Looking out the window, I see a strange little thing that I want to describe as a bird.

It has a little beak and small eyes like a bird, but it's covered in golden fur, like a lion pelt. Its feet are also like tiny paws, and it doesn't fly, but it climbs up the still white tree and snaps at a beetle.

I sigh as I rest my chin on the palm of my hand. "I really want my shinigami robe back," I murmur incoherently. It's not like anyone's listening to me though.

_"Miyako-sama! Are you missing your shinigami robe?" _Nenshoutori asks me. She materializes faintly over her zanpakuto dagger which is next to the bed.

"Oh, well. Yes," I answer her hesitantly.

She grins and nudges Hoshiitenshi, who is in sword form. _"Hey, Hoshii-chan, Miyako-sama wants her shinigami robe."_

Hoshiitenshi materializes over the white rapier with her hands folded in front of her. _"Ah, alright then. We can make something out of our reiatsu, can't we?"_

I smile at the both of them. "That'd be very nice, thank you." I take off the sakura patterned kimono and they extend their hands towards me, clothing me in reiatsu.

As the reiatsu pieces itself together on my body as my shinigami uniform, I start to feel much more confident and comfortable. "That's much better," I exclaim gratefully, "thank you very much."

Nenshoutori gives me a toothy grin and Hoshiitenshi bows politely. Soon after, they both dematerialize.

There's a knock on the door and I stand up from my window seat to draw my attention to the door. "Come in."

The door opens to reveal an indigo-haired girl wearing a short dark-blue kimono with matching arm warmers. She's also wearing matching sandals and stockings that crawl up past her knees.

She bows quickly and with a blank, almost passive look in her eyes. "Miyako-sama, Hisao wants you to eat lunch with him."

I scowl, already imagining how he asked this girl to request my presence for him.

"Go and tell my bride to come eat with me," is what he probably said; with a smug expression at that.

Silently, I walk up to her and put on what I hope isn't a too regal expression. "What is your name?"

"Ren, Miyako-sama," she answers.

I place a hand on her shoulder, telling her to rise. "Tell Hisao I will do as I please. That is all." I dismiss her with a wave of my hand and return to my seat at the window. Glaring at the sun, I just think desperately, "Toshiro, please hurry up. Please…" When tears threaten my eyes, I hastily wipe them away, telling myself to be stronger.

.:Toshiro's POV:.

The light is fading from the sky, yet I don't feel any closer to Miyako than I did a few hours before. I don't understand. I've been following her reiatsu for a long while now. I stop and so does Ruukasu.

"Captain Toshiro?"

"Something's wrong. I've been feeling the same distance from Miyako's reiatsu this whole time." I scan the area, wondering if there's some trick to it.

"Maybe it's me you sense!" A playful voice declares from above.

I flick my head up to see a small boy, not looking any older than ten, smirking at me from a tree branch. He leaps down, his sky-blue sleeves flapping in the wind.

"Opah!" he huffs as he touches the ground. There's something strange; he landed like a dandelion seed, but he came down faster than lightning.

My hand instantly flies to the hilt of my sword as he enters a dangerous radius. His sharp eyes are golden and his face is perfectly peach-colored.

His hand is already on mine before I can react. "Oh, Mister, that's a dangerous thing you're holding there."

Ruukasu is already swinging his sword as soundlessly as possible at the strange kid's back.

The light-blue haired kid stops Ruukasu's sword with the tips of his fingers as if no force was applied at all. "You too, Mister? Tsk, tsk, people shouldn't play with knives."

I try and get him while Ruukasu is incapacitated, but the same thing happens with my sword. Despite my frustration, I press my sword forcefully against his hand to find it spark blue against my sword. "Why do you have the same reiatsu as Miyako?" I hiss, my sword grinding against his skin.

He raises an eyebrow, completely unaffected. Either that or he's very good at hiding his struggle. "Hisao-sama took some of Miyako-hime's reiatsu. Apparently, it can split into the seven rainbow colors in this dimension. We were made from Hisao's creatures. That's why we all have her energy." His eyes draw to slits and he grabs our katana simultaneously. "Now, I have to keep you from Princess Miyako for Hisao-sama; forgive me."

I quickly pull down on Hyorinmaru to escape the boy's grip. I slide back quickly and call to Ruukasu, "Get out of the way!"

He slides back and I see silvery winds spin around the blue boy. He throws out his arms and catches the wind and his eyes narrow to slits. "Bye, bye, Misters." The winds start to chase their tail ends around and around in the boy's hands, creating circular blades. The boy himself starts to turn and spins like a top, gathering more and more wind.

I try to gain distance from him and I activate my Shikai. "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

"Whirl around, Typhoon!" he shouts, expelling the wind in all different directions, giving Ruukasu and me little room to dodge.

Using flash step, I avoid as many attacks as I can. One comes hurdling towards me, and I block it with my blade. However, just as I finish cutting through that one, another wind slices my cheek. As I'm thrown off my tempo, more and more come at me, slicing my skin. I notice that none of the attacks are aimed to fatally wound us, so I charge forward, gripping the hit of my sword. "This kid… He's just playing around with us!" I think bitterly.

"Slow," he says, blowing me back with a gust of wind.

I wince, a little irritated that I can't seem to have enough time to plan out anything. Ruukasu seems to have gone off and hide somewhere since I don't see him. "What's your name?" I demand, grasping for anything to get my thoughts straight.

He looks up at me from the corner of his eye. "Why do you need to know, Mister? Are you a stalker?"

I feel a vein throb on my forehead and try as best I can to ignore his comment. "What does Hisao want with Miyako?"

The boy relinquishes his winds momentarily and shrugs his shoulders. "Who knows? For some reason, Princess' reiatsu resonates with this dimension. That's probably why. What's your relationship with Princess anyway? You must be in love to try so hard to get her back."

Again, I try to keep my head cool. "She's my friend! That's why I'm trying to get her back."

His eyes lower to angry slits once more. "She's someone special to me, too, Mister. That's why you can't have her!" He appears right in front of my face as a whirlwind and I just barely react in time to block his sword.

Returning to his calm voice, the boy says, "Hey, Mister. If you tell me your name, I'll tell you mine." He grabs a sliver of wind and whips it down, sending a chain reaction all the way up to me.

"It doesn't matter if you're just going to be a brat!" I retort, deflecting the wind. I leap forward, still pressing my sword against his wind-weapon. I swing the chain of my sword around the boy, yanking on it to trap him.

"Oh?" He mumbles, seeing ice start to form on his body where the chain is. It extends to freeze most of his stomach and elbow-areas, and I pull it towards me to bring my opponent near. I hesitate a bit, but I point my sword at his chest and run it through. I give a small sigh of relief, but it's shot down when I hear my sword shake.

"That was very scary, Mister. Too bad, though." He grabs the blade near his chest and a void of spinning air opens where the wound is. He pushes the sword out through his shoulder, making a line of swirling wind open up. The "cut" in his body closes right as my sword leaves his body. "So then…" He swings my sword away and kicks me in the side. "Is that all, Mister?"

I cough and clench my teeth. I gather ice on my sword and swing it down at the boy.

He side steps the attack with a move similar to a shinigami's. Almost immediately, he returns with another blast of wind.

I swing another attack of ice at him as a distraction. As I fly in his direction, I turn my blade to get a slice at him. "Haaaah!" I shout, adding more pressure to my attack. I manage to scratch his cheek.

He glares at me as his own blood flecks off his cheek. Clenching his teeth, he retreats to a branch and glowers at me. He wipes his cheek, examining the blood as his face starts to turn ashen. "Tch," he scoffs, "You're good, Mister. But remember this, Miyako is ours now."

Before I can take action, the strange boy disappears in a flurry of leaves and wind. I slam my fist into the nearest tree and lean my eyes against my arm. "What the hell am I doing? I don't know how to act right now… Crap!" My chest feels like it is being crushed. My breath shutters as I try to control it. "Calm down," I mumble, "Miyako, I'm going to save you!"


	10. Chapter 10

.:Eyore's POV:.

I slice through yet another branch of this ridiculously lush forest. Grunting, I continue to move my sword skillfully, cutting a path for us. "What's with this forest? These plants are huge! It doesn't feel like a rainforest at all, though…"

Yumichika is… he was already sparkling when we first tumbled into this weird forest. He loves all the large and beautiful flowers. All the time, he's just stopping to admire the "beauty" of this world. "It's not humid at all! There are no bugs, either! There's absolutely nothing ugly here!" He laughs gleefully. He watches in admiration as a strange golden bird-like thing crawls up the next tree. "Look at that golden fur!" He gasps.

I allow him to go on for about thirty more seconds before I whip around and aim my sword right between his eyes. Gritting my teeth, I say slowly, "Say one more word about how 'beautiful' everything is, and I will chop off your hair and screw up your face!"

He laughs nervously and puts his hands up in defense. "Y-yes, ma'am…" he replies. After I pull my sword away from his face, he sighs in relief. "It's really strange though, with plant life like this you'd expect it to be humid and have a surplus of bugs…"

"It is strange…" I think, furrowing my eyebrows in thought.

"Tch. It doesn't matter does it? We just gotta find that princess and we're gone, right?" Ikkaku scoffs. He's been trailing behind the both of us, looking out for the back.

"I guess so," I mumble. A sharp cry from Ikkaku immediately grabs my attention. I twirl around and run to him. "Ikkaku, what happened? Are you alright? Ikkaku!" I ask worriedly.

He groans, trying to not scream in pain. Ikkaku grabs my hand, squeezing tighter and tighter. "Ghe… Something bit me…" He manages to say. His whole body is tense and the vein on his neck is visibly throbbing.

"Ikkaku, where were you bit?" I ask, attempting to sound calm. The fact that Madarame Ikkaku, the eleventh squad's third seat, is crying out in pain doesn't help me to calm down.

His grip on my hand loosens and he starts breathing slowly through his teeth. Though it's more controlled than before, his breath still shutters worryingly. "Heh, Bimbo, I'm fine." He pushes himself up, using my hand as a support.

I stand up slowly to help him get back on his feet. Glaring, I scold him, "You dumbass! Don't scare me like that! I thought I was gonna have a heart attack or something!"

"Who told you to worry about me, idiot?" Ikkaku chuckled, standing up fine on his own. He dusted his pants off and started to make his way.

Blushing, I snap at him, "Y-You! You're quite a piece of work, aren't you, bastar-!" All of a sudden, a gloved hand clamps over my mouth. I try my best to make a scream in my throat so that they hear. Luckily for me, Ikkaku is turning around anyway to yell at me.

"Ha? What is that? Just finish your sentence, Bimb- Eyore!" He immediately unsheathes his sword and takes up an attack stance. "Who are you?" He growls at my assailant.

I scratch at his hand and try to pry it off. A small part of me is regretting clipping my nails previously, another part of me is struggling to see what this person looks like.

"I am… Ichirou, the red prince," he answers simply.

.:Ikkaku's POV:.

I pull my sword and grin as I unsheathe it in front of my face. "'Ichi' huh? I hope you're as strong as your name!" I flash step so that I'm behind him quicker than his eyes can follow, I swing down my sword at his back.

The guy cloaked in red pushes Eyore from his grasp and stops my sword with his forearm. His blood stains his cloak, but it's hardly noticeable; the color is exactly the same. He swings his arm upwards, surprisingly making sparks against my sword.

I slide back for just a moment and then bring my sword down again, laughing in excitement. "What's with your arm? That's some interesting blood you got there!"

He doesn't utter a sound; he only glares at me from under his red-brown bangs while crystalline blood crawls up my blade. He bites off the glove on his other hand and cuts his finger as well. The blood that pours out of his finger hardens and he stabs at my neck with it.

I strike my sword against it, hoping that what force I put on it is strong enough to break the blood. However, my sword is the one getting scratched up. I jump back, watching for a weak point to strike at.

During the small absence of fighting, he swings down his arms and the blood takes on the form of two sai: A dagger-shaped metal truncheon with two curved prongs projecting from the handle. He glowers at me from under his bangs. He has a look on that I don't like. It says "I'm looking down on you."

I grip my weapon tightly, so much that my knuckles turn white. With another cry, I strike at the "Red Prince."

He side-steps my attack and all my sword hits is air. My assailant quickly slashes his arm down, cutting me across the chest. He goes in for a jab with his other hand, but I pour my reiatsu into the next swing.

Blood spurts from my wound as I howl, pouring on my reiatsu. I manage to cut him across the chest and break his blood-made weapon. I breathe heavily, grinning, "You're really strong, but I still got to cut you!" Suddenly, there's a pain in my back. It's just like the searing pain I felt a few minutes ago when something bit me.

Ichirou stands back up, looking at his clothes in dismay. "Hisao-sama isn't going to be happy when he sees my clothes are destroyed…" He looks at me apathetically, his face void of emotion. "What's wrong with you?"

I grunt uncomfortably and try to stand up, using my sword as a support. "Th-this is nothing. I can still fight you if that's all you got!"

A flash of agitation crosses his face, and he raises his arm, concentrating all his expelled blood there. He creates a thin cone-like weapon in his hand and aims it at my chest. "Hisao-sama has ordered me to either kill you, or convince you to leave. What'll it be?"

I grin like a hyena as I make eye contact with him once more. "Neither!" I laugh, swinging my sword at him yet again.

He sends my sword flying, and all I could make out was a flicker of red. I see that same flicker of red and grit my teeth, ready to take a hit.

"Rip and Tear, Jōshō Arashi!" Eyore shouts. She blocks his strange weapon with one of her spearheads and quickly spins the spear to push him back. Eyore slashed at the man with her spear, and instantly went in from another slice.

Yumichika runs over to me and helps me up by slinging my arm over his shoulder. All the while, we're still watching Eyore clumsily wield her spear. "She's not that good, is she?"

I scoff, "She's wielding that spear so clumsily. That bimbo, she hasn't practiced at all."

.:Eyore's POV:.

His blows were so heavy! I could hardly push him back, but because I'm in the eleventh squad, I have "unlimited stamina." I bring down my spear once more, but he blocks it and goes in for a jab.

I suck in my stomach with a gasp and step to the side, just barely evading the attack. I hear my kimono rip and cringe when I feel my skin tear along with it.

The man prepares to stab at me yet again, and this time it's too fast for me.

I scrunch my eyes up as I spin around my spear in a sad attempt to block. I never feel the weight of a blow, though. I hesitantly open my eyes to see him already retreating. My pride is hurt that he didn't follow through, and I shout angrily, "Wh-where are you going! Aren't you going to follow through? Wasn't that your mission?"

He stops walking and doesn't even glance back. "The lot of you are too pugnacious." And with that, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

.:Ichirou's POV:.

I pressed a hand to my right ear, focusing more on the telepathic message from Hisao-sama. "What did you want? You're too fickle with missions; I was just about to complete mine."

Hisao-sama chuckled and said, "Let them come. We need to prepare for the wedding."


	11. Chapter 11

.:Miyako's POV:.

"What?" I whisper in disbelief.

With a sly grin, Hisao gives me that greasy look which I hate. He lets go of the doorframe and strides into the room with a fake noble air. "My _darling _Miyako, you know you heard me. We are getting married tomorrow afternoon!" He reaches over for my hand and I flinch.

He looks at me curiously and chuckles. "There's no use putting on an act in front of you, is there?"

Ignoring his comment, I ask, "Why do you need to do this? What is your motivation for marrying me? How does that even transfer my power to you? Wouldn't you just steal it from me by, I don't know, absorbing it into a sword?"

He stays silent, and his smile fades. It's a somber kind of smile, mixed with melancholy and regret.

There's a pang in my heart, and I wonder, "Are you really a bad guy? Can you even kill someone?"

Anger flashes in his eyes, and I'm slammed against the wall before my brain can realize.

I gasp in pain. My back stings and my wrists burn; he's grabbing me too tightly.

He snickers in my ear, "Oh poor innocent Miyako. Unlike most villains, do you think I'm the type to reveal my whole secret to you?" He chuckles airily. "Will you believe that I can kill someone if I'm able to violate you?"

His tongue slides across my neck as a hand tugs on my uniform. "Maybe I should make you my bride now…"

"STOP IT!" I shriek, slapping him across the face. I fumble with my robes, trying to pull them back over my chest properly. A tear rolls down my cheek then more and more follow. Gritting my teeth, I barely croak, "Get out."

Just as I begin to sob, he leaves the room.

.:Hisao's POV:.

I can hear her crying even from the throne room. I grab my ears in both my hands, trying to block out the sound. I feel the vein in my forehead throbbing, and I can't focus on anything with my head being this stuffy.

"Hisao-sama."

"What?" I groan, rubbing my temples.

"Why do you want to marry this girl?"

I barely recognize the indigo-colored servant in front of me. "Why do you think? You know about my past, Ren."

She nods. "That I do, Hisao-sama. Is it because she reminds you of your wife?"

"Yes… she's just like Tomoko," I confirm.

Ren pauses, and then inquires, "Why do you treat Miyako-hime poorly, then?"

"…because I need to feel like its Tomoko hating me. She suffered because of me."

A voice calls from the hallway, "Hisao-sama, is that true?"

"Mai…" I mutter. I take my head in both hands and groan, "Fine. You women are so tiresome. Just listen to the whole story. I will not repeat myself…"


	12. Chapter 12

June XX, XXXX

.:Hisao's POV:.

I looked around cautiously to make sure my captain wouldn't spot me. I felt that the coast was clear, and crept away from the stack of paperwork glaring at me from my office. "I swear I'll do it later," I told myself.

"What are you doing, Hisao-kun?" came my captain's voice.

I flinched and turned around nervously, to be met suddenly with a peck on the lips. I froze right there, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Gotcha, Hisao-kun!" giggled Tomoko, changing her voice back to normal.

I sighed with relief, "Holy crap, Tomoko… You scared me!" I glared at her with a frown on my face. "Plus, you shouldn't use your zanpakuto powers for such trivial things."

She rolled her eyes and swung her hands behind her back. "Blah, blah, you don't need to lecture me, gosh." Tomoko grinned at me, her eyes sparkling, "So, what were you sneaking out for anyway?"

A different kind of nervousness washed over me when she asked that. I rubbed the back of my head and my eyes flitted to the left. "Well, that's… I mean… You know it's your birthday so I was sneaking out to see you," I stuttered, mumbling the last bit of my sentence.

She smiled appreciatively and hugged her arms around my neck. "Well isn't that sweet?" she giggled. Her face was just as pink as mine as we stared into each other's eyes. "What did you get me, then?" she asked coyly.

I looked down and back at her eyes. I slowly dug into my pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. "This may be awkward timing, but will you marry me, Tomoko?"

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she tentatively took the sign of engagement out of my hand. She put a hand over her mouth and nodded vigorously. "Yes," she said in a very soft, emotional voice, "Oh, Hisao, this is the best birthday ever!"

I beamed and quickly stole a kiss from her.

Unfortunately, Tomoko and I were already assigned a mission before our engagement was made public. So we had to complete it before we got married.

It was a two-week trip to a far off village that was being swamped by hollow. There was an unnatural rip between our two worlds and we were sent there to close it.

I, who was part of the Twelfth Squad, was sent to analyze it and record the data, then record how we closed it.

Tomoko, who was part of the Eleventh Squad, was sent to exorcize as many hollows as she could.

There were, of course, many other members for this project, but heed me when I say I honestly do not remember.

It's painful to remember, but I have to admit my own faults. I was still too riled up about my engagement to Tomoko, and vice versa. I must have been unable to focus or something, but I messed up my calculations.

Right when we thought we'd closed the garganta, several more ripped open, and all hell broke loose.

"Tomoko! Tomoko, stay with me!" I cried, grasping onto her hand tightly.

The light was disappearing from her eyes, and blood was everywhere. We'd managed to close the portals correctly this time, but it was far too late for her.

"Hisao," she mumbled in a raspy voice, "I was so happy when you asked me to marry you…"

"Tomoko stop talking, you'll bleed out!" I warned.

She couldn't hear me anymore, though. She knew it was impossible, and I knew it was impossible.

A tear slipped out of her eye. "Hisao, I know we'll meet in another life. Then, we can be together. I know it. I feel it." Her body started to disappear, feet first all the way to her head.

My heart truly gave up then, and tears wouldn't stop. I shook my head and grabbed at the ground desperately where she had lain. "Tomoko!" I screamed.

Since then, I tried to convince myself that I was truly evil. That I opened the portals on purpose, that I sought to rule the Soul Society. That was the reason she died, because I was evil. I was evil. I am evil.

"I'm not evil…" I mutter, sweeping my hand into my hair.

"Hisao-sama, it's time to go to sleep," Ren states. She puts a blanket over my body, knowing that I am stressed from retelling my story.

My eyelids are already heavy, and I fall into a dreamless sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

.:Miyako's POV:.

I wake up the next day, my conviction to escape boiling hotter than ever. Despite the unsettling feeling in my stomach, I decide to ignore what little "good" that lies in Hisao. "I still think he's hiding something… but the fact of the matter is that I have to get out of here."

"Hime-sama!" Mai shouts as she bounces in. "Hey, hey, it's the big day now! You'll really be our mother now, won't you?"

I smile weakly and nod. "Seems so," I lie. "So, am I supposed to dress up?"

Midori follows behind Mai, holding a colorful red and white kimono. "Does this answer your question?"

As they assist me with my clothes, all I can think about is my escape plan. "I won't apologize… but I'm going to leave. There is no other way to say it."

.:Toshiro's POV:.

"I thought you were better than this, Captain!" taunts the same irritating anomaly from yesterday. He speeds ahead while still facing towards Ruukasu and me.

"I don't know what he's trying to do," I think, calculating a strategy in my head, "but I'm going to assume that he's trying to distract us." I make eye contact with Ruukasu and nod my head left. "The one he goes after will determine which way Miyako is," I think.

Ruukasu and I split ways suddenly, and begin running off in either direction.

"Woah, woah!" the boy sprints after me, "Now where are you going, Mister?" He swings his arm sideways, sending a blade of wind my way.

I slice through it with my zanpakuto and grin. "You should be a little more discreet. Now, Ruukasu!"

My attacker turns his head just a second too late as Ruukasu comes in with a blow to the boy's head.

Blood flies and the boy falls to the ground, looking very disoriented.

I jump down next to him. "Tell me where Miyako is," I demand, "You may be dying but there's time left to cause you pain."

The boy chuckles and turns over to lay on his back. "I never even got to see her… I live to defend something I never saw."

Ruukasu comes down as well. "What is he babbling on about?"

"I asked you once. Now where is she?" I raise my voice now, growing impatient with his little game. "She is more important to me than to you. She does not belong here, and I'm sure you and your leader know that!"

"Hey, Hitsugaya, that blow was heavy, give him space…"

The boy grabs my ankle, his grip stronger than it should be for a dying person. "Hey, Mister… will she be happy with you? I don't know. She's getting married today. Speaking of… I only saw her once… she looked like she was only a child. What's he doing with a child…"

I breathe and get down on a knee. "She's not happy. Let me help her."

The dying boy stares at me blankly, his golden eyes begin to tarnish as his breath weakens. "Keep heading that way," he explains, releasing my ankle and lifting his arm. "They're probably on the balcony…"

Ruukasu leans over and puts the boy's hand down. "What's your name?"

"She never named me. Hisao gave me a name… Kougu."

"Thank you Kougu."

Kougu smiles. "Goodbye Mister." His body fades away, fizzling away from his feet to his head.

I stand up. "Let's go, Ruukasu."

"I got it, Captain."

.:Eyore's POV:.

"The heck was that?" I growled, "We're fighting one minute and he just runs away the next? That's so disgraceful!"

"Can you shut up for a minute?" groans Ikkaku, "My head is spinning and my back is burning!"

"You're looking pale," Yumichika states, "Should we take a rest? Then again that ugly mug of yours is hilarious."

Suddenly Ikkaku collapses on the ground, grunting in pain. He claws at his back, groaning. "UGH! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?"

"Ikkaku!" I grab his hand and examine his face. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, something sprouts from his back, a monstrous looking thing, and falls to the ground.

Steam expels from Ikkaku's back, and his skin is renewed where it was torn from.

"THE HECK?" I scream, looking at the weird mass of feathers.

The animal rises from the ground and spreads its wings, revealing itself to be a bird-like creature. Its feathers turn from gray to silver, and it looks over at Ikkaku. "Mama!"

There is a good five minutes of silence.

Yumichika and I burst out into laughter.

"MAMA? MAMA? THAT THING CALLED YOU ITS MOTHER," I chortle, "You just gave birth to a bird, Ikkaku!"

"I never imagined you having kids, but I'm not surprised that it's ugly as you!"

"WHERE DID THIS THING COME FROM? IT'S A PARASITE, NOT A BABY," screams Ikkaku, the veins in his neck bulging out.

"Seems that the pigs are having quite the good time by themselves."

I look up and there was the same "Red Prince" we fought yesterday. "You! Did you come back for more? Looks like you ran away last time, but I'll make sure you stay!" I unsheathe my sword and prepare to fight.

Ichirou sighs and makes no move to defend himself. He looks a lot different from yesterday… defeated even. "Perhaps death would be preferred over being hated."

"What are you going on about?" snarls Ikkaku, "aren't you here to 'defeat us' or 'protect the princess'?"

He approaches, putting less than a meter's worth of space between us. "My leader doesn't seem to understand what he's doing any longer… I am lost as well… Miyako-hime doesn't seem to want to be here any longer either."

"So what are you telling us this for? Tell us where she is so we can take her back!" I say.

He closes his eyes and looks as if he's deep in thought. "No." He nicks his thumb against his teeth and shoots blood at us.

I jump out of the way and draw my sword. Cursing under my breath, I roll forward and try to slash at him.

Ikkaku and Yumichika come in with their swords as well, aiming for his stomach and head.

Right before our swords make contact, he drops his hand and closes his eyes. I try to stop my hand, but it's already too late.

His body falls to the ground and I sheath my sword, watching him dissipate. "Why?" I wonder, "He just… gave up like that. I don't understand."

"Hey bimbo," Ikkaku's voice pulls me out of my thoughts, "Let's go. Captain Hitsugaya will get pissed if we don't move our asses."

"How many times have I told you not to call me bimbo, baldy?" I snap. I push away the unsettling feelings, but it really doesn't seem like a fair fight.

It's a one-sided slaughter.


End file.
